Whither Must I Wander

by thelegendarytoothpaste


Chapter 1ne+1ne= 11

Link let out a loud scream as he hit the dirt again, only to roll under his shield to protect himself once more. It was just as he figured. The wolves intended to overpower and destroy him with numbers and size, which were supported by their regenerative properties. That was just what they did.
He could no longer tell how many he was up against. They all looked almost identical, though Link couldn't tell if it was due to blood loss or nature simply being unoriginal.

Ah, speaking of blood loss...

He struggled to keep his shield in place while the wolf did what it could to rend it free of his grip, or otherwise destroy him. His eyes wandered to his left thigh, where a chunk of meat had been torn loose. He could see his femoral artery pulsing freely. It was dumb luck that it was not ruptured. Had it been, he would have bled out in minutes.

Not that his current predicament was much better.

That is not to say that he did not make good on his promise to make a last stand. Link managed to down two of the wolves through clever use of a rare mask and his blade, and a third was critically injured, seemingly past its regenerative abilities.

For whatever reason, the wolves took pause for a moment when he gazed at them from behind the mystical mask of the Sheikah, the Mask of Truth. He noticed their gaze locking onto it on his belt- he'd been keeping it handy in case there were any Gossip Stones he could gain direction from. They would not halt their attacks outright, but something about it caused a hesitation that lasted long enough for Link to dispatch two of them permanently and mangle a third to the point of near paralysis.

Then it was knocked from his face and into the brush. He pondered while doing what he could to free his shoulder from one of the wolves what might happen if he used his Stone Mask, but that particular mask was near the bottom of his pack.
He paused a moment while the offending beast took reel and looked upon his new shoulder injury, then his leg again. Even if he successfully fought off the beasts, with his femoral exposed like it was, it was just a matter of time before infection set in and killed him.

Was this predicament enough to warrant using... that? It would certainly possess enough power to see him the victor, and his wounds would suddenly become a moot point. He managed to control its dark power during his fight with Majora. Perhaps...
He shook his head. No. It was true the mask had untold power and he managed to keep himself and it under control when he did battle Majora, but it was still too much of a threat. He would not bring its nonsense to Hyrule any more than he had to.

His eyes widened. He was going to die here. He knew that. Then what of his masks? Should someone stumble upon his bones down the line and discover the masks, what was stopping them from looting the worst ones? Who would stand up to them when granted untold power?

His simple answer was it would be better if he did not die.

And yet it looked like things would be ending that way. Link could barely stand any longer let alone swing his blade, and there were still what equated in his head to an army of the wolves left. Link scowled.
"You're messing with something that you can't comprehend," he whispered. They made up the first complete sentence uttered by the boy since his return from Termina months prior.

The wolves did not pay mind. They only doubled their attacks, sensing that he was nearing death and victory was at hand. Link stole a glance at his shield. This attack alone proved enough to cause serious damage to it. The paint was all but removed and the scratches and dents were becoming a real issue. Perhaps it was better if he died, then? It would save him from having to pay a smith to repair his shield for him.
Link was again knocked to the dirt. This time, he was only able to struggle to his knees again. Darkness was invading his vision and everything felt like it was spinning. He could swear he heard female voices speaking, but he did not understand what they were saying. Perhaps the angels had a different language?
The ground itself felt as though it gave way beneath him and he was floating. This must've been it. He must have finally succumbed. Something was strange, though. He could not see his body anywhere beneath him. Come to think of it, why was he floating to one side as opposed to straight up? Did his sense of direction get so mekked1 up that his spirit couldn't find heaven anymore? Or was he going to the other place instead?
Whatever it was, it had to wait. The darkness took over his vision entirely. Just before it did, however, he could swear he saw a brightly colored smudge.


Fluttershy was quick when she wanted to be. The issue was, she never really wanted to be.

Things changed, however, under special circumstances.

If someone was hurting her friends or being mean enough to them, she knew how to simply stare them into submission. Fluttershy was capable of being very scary. You don't make it to Lieutenant Colonel without being tough on occasion, after all.
If an animal was in danger? She would throw caution to the wind and do what was necessary to help them.
As such, she was actually rivaling Rainbow Dash in speed right now, though that was mainly due to her running. Dash was impossibly fast in the air, but nothing to really write home about on the ground.

"Rainbow Dash- I mean, Fluttershy, what in heaven's name has gotten into you?" called Rarity, who was doing an impeccable job of dodging every branch in the trees as they ran.
"Animal! Hurt! Maybe scared! Sick!" she called behind her.
The others fell silent and joined her in quiet determination. Fluttershy loved animals with all her heart and she could use a hoof right now. That was suddenly all that mattered.
They could hear the telltale barking of Timberwolves in the distance. Fluttershy began to pick up speed, and she disappeared into the brush ahead.
"Fluttershy, no!" called Twilight. "Come on, everypony! Kick it into high gear!"
The others did not need to be asked twice. They began running as fast as they could, and they cut through the brush as well.

Fluttershy was unharmed. That was the good news. The timberwolves did not seem to be paying her any mind yet.
The same could not be said of the creature they were attacking. There were four of them. For a moment Twilight wondered if it was a dragon they were attempting to kill- she could see a bit of green in the mess of stick monsters and knew it was a fairly common color in the scales of dragons. The theory was put to bed when she saw the shine of what seemed to be a metal shield.
A tiny green hat lay in the dirt before her. Pinkie was investigating an eerie white and red mask just next to her. Could this have been a guard that was being attacked? A pony?
The wolves cleared up a bit just long enough for them to see something they had never seen before. It looked almost like a minotaur runt, but had smoother facial features and no fur on its clothed body but for its head. It was mangled to say the least. One of its hind legs had muscle missing down to the bone. The sounds it was making suggested it was young. Very young.

Too young for this to be its fate.

"What the hay is that thing?" asked Rainbow in barely a whisper. "An alien?"
Fluttershy said nothing, instead choosing to begin walking towards the chaos in front of her.
"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" asked Applejack cautiously. The wolves had not noticed them yet.
"Alien or no alien, it needs us," said Fluttershy. "We would be failing our duties as Elements of Harmony if we left it."
"What if it is some kind of monster?" said Rarity in just above a whisper. Fluttershy gave her friends a look.
"Then we will deal with it then. Come on, girls!"
With that, she dove into the fray. The timberwolves let out a few shrieks of surprise at the intruder. Dash was quick to follow. Twilight took a few steps forward too.
"She's right. Alien or no alien, we can't leave it to the timberwolves. You know what will happen if they win. Another will join their pack."
It was all the incentive the others needed to join in.


The goal was not to destroy the timberwolves. It was simply to get the creature out and to safety. Fluttershy had dealt with bad injuries before, but only rarely as bad as what the creature sustained. She wondered how in Equestria she would manage.
For now, the focus was getting the creature free and clear, and it was a success. Fluttershy also noted with surprise that the being wielded weaponry, namely a sword, shield, and a bow. She even saw a slingshot on its belt. The creature must have been young then.

It was small too. Barely up to her barrel if it was standing, she guessed.

She did not mind the blood seeping into her coat. It had happened before when she helped animals and she suspected that it would happen again. She only hoped not with this creature.
It was decided while they retreated out of the forest that Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash would go find Zecora and ask her to come to Fluttershy's cottage to help with the wounded animal. Fluttershy, Rarity, Angel and Pinkie Pie would focus on getting the creature free and safe.
Pinkie seemed to coo gently when she looked at it. The itty bitty thingy had passed out.
"Don't worry, little fella. Fluttershy will get you all better very soon. Then you can play with your itty bitty masks again!" she chirped.
Yes, the masks. The creature had quite a few of them in its rucksack. Perhaps it enjoyed them. Pinkie could only reason that the one she found in the dirt was its as well. She was responsible for carrying the bag full of masks. Rarity was carrying what they figured was its hat, as well as its shield and sword.

Fluttershy was going to do her very best to help the creature. She just didn't know for sure if it would be enough.
End of Chapter